May 23, 2018 HOUSTON -- Any lauding of the Houston Rockets' resilience in Game 4 on Tuesday at Oracle Arena begins with an acknowledgment of their defense, with cliched adjectives serving the general purpose of explaining how they overcame a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit to claim victory and square the Western Conference Finals before the series relocated back to Toyota Center.But for a series rife with adjustments, the truth of how Houston salvaged its championship aspirations lies within the minutiae. Methodically and stubbornly, the Rockets have invited the Warriors to play their brand of isolation basketball, influencing Golden State for long enough stretches to temporarily secure advantages with a style of play that blatantly benefits Houston.The fourth quarter of Game 4 offered a prime example. The Warriors claimed their largest lead of the contest at 82-70 when Stephen Curry assisted on a Shaun Livingston dunk at the 10:45 mark. That play produced the 14th and final assist of the evening for Golden State."We scored 12 points," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the fourth period. "So it's not like we were getting great shots either."It was sort of trench warfare. It was just everybody grinding it out, a lot of isolation. I guess this is the modern NBA. But the only way you can do this and win is you have to have great one-on-one players. You've got to have great defenders, two-way guys, and we do and they do. And so, it just becomes a one-on-one battle with all the switching, and they did a great job of it." The Warriors paced the NBA in assist percentage (68.5) during the regular season. The Rockets, conversely, ranked 22nd at 55.7 percent, relying on the isolation brilliance of James Harden and Chris Paul. And while Golden State features two exceptional one-on-one talents in Kevin Durant and Curry, isolation basketball doesn't reflect the Warriors' offensive identity.The Warriors' 14 assists in Game 4 represented a series low. Their 48.2 assist rate in the series is worse than the Rockets' assist percentage (49.3), a remarkable and surprising development. The final period on Tuesday revealed Golden State at its most unrecognizable and disjointed."I think we just got a little rushed," Curry said. "I think some of the mix-ups we had on defense affected our energy on the offensive end. And credit to them: We know they're doing a lot of switching and trying to force us into one-on-one-type situations, but that's no excuse to not get the ball moving, trusting what we do best. And whether it's the first quarter, second quarter, or crunch time in the fourth, we got to be us. And that's going to be the adjustment for Game 5." With Game 5 set for Toyota Center on Thursday, the Rockets have a clear understanding of their most immediate mission. Their season-long defensive might has served them well during crucial spans against the Warriors, with Houston scrambling and contesting at a fevered pitch.The moments when the Warriors get rolling offensively have been harrowing for Houston, yet the Rockets mustered the gumption in Games 2 and 4 to claw back into contention behind their defense. When Golden State threatened to run off to a 3-1 series lead, Houston was unbowed."These are the moments that we spend all that time for," Paul said. "Mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness, and I think guys on our team showed that." That level of perseverance wasn't attached to the Rockets' collective identity or aligned to Harden individually. But in Game 4, Houston finally won at Oracle Arena and snapped the Warriors' 16-game home postseason winning streak. After falling to the Warriors in five games in consecutive postseasons, the Rockets have finally cleared one hurdle. Another one awaits."We came a long way," Harden said. "Obviously new personnel but we came an extremely long way, and we've been talking about it all season long (starting in the) summertime: put ourselves in the best position, and we're doing that. And so, another opportunity Game 5, we've got to come out and take advantage of it. Simple."

Reds hope to continue mastery of Pirates' Nova 1h ago• 3 min read Ivan Nova must have looked at the Pittsburgh Pirates' pitching plans a week or so ago and said to himself, "The Cincinnati Reds? Not again." The Reds (17-33) own the National League's worst record, but have done a number on Nova. They'll try to do another one Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park when Nova and Reds right-hander Luis Castillo match up to close out the three-game National League Central series.Josh Harrison's RBI triple in the 12th was the key hit as the Pirates squandered a 4-0 lead but still evened the series with a 5-4, viictory Wednesday night. While the Reds rallied, they couldn't convert in several late-inning clutch situations.Rookie Brandon Dixon, called up Monday, struck out with the bases loaded to end the eighth, was called out for interference while trying to put down a sacrifice bunt in the 11th, then grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game after the Reds put runners on first and third with no one out in the 12th.Cincinnati also had the potential winning run on second in the 11th."It was a weird game, but (we) made the right pitches at the right time," said Harrison, who is from Cincinnati. "There's no place like home, and when I'm playing before my family, I always like to play well." Nova is considered the Pirates' top starter, but can't seem to beat the Reds -- well, at least recently. He was 0-4 against them against in 2017-- four of his losses during an 11-14 season were to one team -- and he's lost five consecutive decisions to them dating to a 4-1, complete-game victory over Cincinnati on Sept. 8, 2016.He is 3-6 with a 4.47 ERA against the Reds, figuring in the decision in all nine starts.The right-handed Nova (2-4, 4.79 ERA) also is struggling of late, losing his last three decisions and going winless in his last six starts. He hasn't won since April 15, when he allowed three runs over six innings while defeating the Miami Marlins 7-3.Nova didn't get much help in his most recent start, a 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday in which the Pirates stranded 13 runners and went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position. He gave up three runs (two earned) and six hits over six innings.The Padres' key hit against Nova was Eric Hosmer's two-out, check-swing double in the sixth, which led to Franchy Cordero's RBI single."Curveball down and away, check-swing double, not too much to talk about there," Nova said. "What can you do about it? Maybe make a better pitch, who knows? It was off the plate. He just checked (his) swing and hit a double. Nothing you can do about it." Just like Nova seems to get nothing done whenever he faces the Reds.The 25-year-old Castillo is pitching better than his numbers -- 3-4 record, 5.61 ERA -- would suggest. He received a no-decision his last time out, a 5-4, 11-inning Reds victory over the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday, but the Reds have won his last three starts and four of his last five. He's also won his last two decisions.However, Castillo is 0-2 in three career starts against the Pirates, including a 14-3 defeat in Pittsburgh on April 6 in which the game got away from the bullpen after he permitted four runs and six hits in five innings.Nova has a track record -- most of it not good -- against a number of Reds batters. Tucker Barnhart is 6-for-15, Eugenio Suarez is 7-for-18 and Scott Schebler is 7-for-19 with one homer and four RBIs. Adam Duvall is 5-for-20 with a homer and three RBIs, Joey Votto is 7-for-26 with one homer and five RBIs and Scooter Gennett is 1-for-11.The Pirates' Colin Moran is 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs against Castillo, but Harrison is 0-for-8, and Josh Bell and Jordy Mercer are each 1-for-6.The Reds will be without closer Raisel Iglesias, who went on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained left biceps. The Reds got back right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who strained a muscle near his right shoulder during spring training. He pitched in 70 games for them last season, and worked a scoreless 10th inning Wednesday.

Blue Jays hope to get series win vs. Angels 1h ago• 2 min read TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays will make another attempt to win their first home series in more than a month Thursday afternoon when they complete a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels.The Blue Jays appeared to have the series won Wednesday night when they took a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning but suffered a 5-4 loss.The teams have split the first two games.Toronto reliever Tyler Clippard, trying for his third save of the season, allowed three walks and a pair of two-run singles, including one by Shohei Ohtani, to give the Angels a 5-3 lead.The Blue Jays could score only once in the bottom of the ninth despite opening the inning with two singles and a double."I don't overreact on one game, it was a tough game, it was an ugly game," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "Those guys (the bullpen) have been great all year and they'll bounce back." The Angels will start right-hander Nick Tropeano (1-3, 4.45 ERA) against Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada (2-4, 5.15).The Blue Jays have not won a home series since April 17-18 against the Kansas City Royals, a three-game sweep that included a doubleheader when Toronto totaled 31 runs.The Blue Jays (23-26) have lost nine of their past 12 games and dropped seven of their past eight home games. They have yet to win back-to-back games in May and are 7-14 for the month.The Angels (27-22) are 15-5 on the road this season, the highest road winning percentage (.750) in the majors. They have won two of three games after a five-game losing streak.Andrelton Simmons, whose two-run single in the ninth put Los Angeles into a 5-3 lead on Wednesday, enjoys hitting at the Rogers Centre. In 13 career games there, he is batting .364 (20-for-55) with four doubles, a triple and 10 RBIs.Tropeano will be making his seventh start of the season for the Angeles and this third on the road. It will be his first career start against the Blue Jays.This will be Tropeano's third start since come back from the disabled list (right shoulder inflammation).Tropeano took the loss Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays when he allowed four earned runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings.In his two road starts this season, he is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA.Estrada is 1-1 with a 6.62 ERA in three career starts against the Angels. He will be looking for his first win since April 20, a span of five starts. He is 0-3 with a 5.02 ERA in those starts, but the team is 2-3.The Angels appeared to have squandered their chances to win the game before Clippard let them grab the lead in the ninth. Los Angeles had stranded 11 runners over the first eight innings and 13 for the whole game."We did a lot of good things at the plate," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We had a lot of chances, but we couldn't get that key hit at some point and a couple of rough decisions on the base paths. For the most part, guys kept playing, guys kept plugging away. We did force the action, we stole some bags." The four-run ninth was their highest in a ninth inning since they also scored four on May 5, 2017, against the Houston Astros.The Blue Jays' loss was their first in 18 games this season when leading after eight innings.

White Sox go for 2nd straight series win vs. Orioles 2h ago• 2 min read The Chicago White Sox trudged through nearly a month without winning a series.Now, the suddenly surging White Sox have a chance to win their second series in a row when they host the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of a four-game set on Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.Chicago (15-31) has won two of its first three games against Baltimore and five of its last seven overall. The White Sox are coming off their most resounding victory yet after an 11-1 drubbing of the Orioles on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Baltimore (15-34) will try to escape with a series tie as its disappointing season shows no signs of letting up. Unlike the White Sox, who are rebuilding, the Orioles entered the year with high expectations.Baltimore right-hander Dylan Bundy (2-6, 4.70 ERA) will make his 11th start. The hard-throwing 25-year-old hopes to turn the page on a slew of subpar performances that have led to four losses in his past five outings.Since April 26, Bundy is 1-4 with a 9.41 ERA in five starts. He has allowed 23 earned runs in 22 innings, including an eye-popping 12 home runs during that span. The Orioles' 2011 first-round pick has surrendered at least three home runs in three of his past four starts.Bundy is 3-0 with a 4.26 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the White Sox. He won both of his starts against Chicago last season, including one at home and one on the road.The White Sox will turn to right-hander Lucas Giolito (3-4, 6.42 ERA), who will be making his 10th start of the season and the 21st of his career. The 23-year-old is coming off his fourth quality start of the year after limiting the Texas Rangers to two runs in six innings Saturday en route to a 5-3 win.Giolito never has faced the Orioles. He is 4-4 with a 5.22 ERA in nine career starts at Guaranteed Rate Field.The toughest test for Giolito almost certainly will come from Orioles shortstop Manny Machado, who has produced Triple Crown-type numbers in the first two months. He is hitting .328 with 15 home runs and 43 RBIs in 49 games this season.Chicago's top threat at the plate is first baseman Jose Abreu, who is hitting .309 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs in 45 games. The 31-year-old Cuban also has 16 doubles to lead the team.The Sox might be without outfielder Leury Garcia, who left Wednesday's game in the fifth inning because of a sprained left knee. Garcia is scheduled to be re-evaluated Thursday.Matt Davidson's status for Thursday's game also is uncertain after he was scratched from the lineup Wednesday because of back stiffness. Davidson has 11 home runs and 28 RBIs.The Orioles also could be shorthanded depending on Mark Trumbo's availability. Trumbo missed Wednesday's game because of right knee soreness, which might have been caused by a hard slide into second base one day earlier.Chicago is 8-17 at home this season. Baltimore is 5-21 on the road.

Athletics, Lucas go for sweep of Mariners, King Felix 8h ago• 2 min read OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland Athletics right-hander Josh Lucas will make his first big-league start against a legend Thursday afternoon when the Seattle Mariners send ace Felix Hernandez to the mound in the finale of the three-game series.Despite being held to four runs in 19 innings, the Mariners have managed to win the first two games of the series, claiming a 1-0 victory Wednesday after going 10 innings for a 3-2 triumph the night before.Seattle has beaten Oakland six times in eight meetings this season, after taking last year's season series 12-7.Guillermo Heredia was the offensive star of both wins, driving in the game-winner with a double Tuesday, then scoring the only run of Wednesday's win after another double in the fourth inning.Lucas, who has made two relief appearances for the A's this season after coming out of the bullpen five times for the St. Louis Cardinals last year, will be filling in for Brett Anderson, who suffered a shoulder injury in a start against Toronto on Friday.Lucas (0-0, 1.35) came on in relief that game, limiting the Blue Jays to one run in 3 2/3 innings.The A's went on to win the game 3-1, although Lucas did not get a decision.He's pitched a total of 6 2/3 innings in his two games for the A's. He's never faced the Mariners.Lucas' zero career wins are 165 fewer than Hernandez (5-3, 5.53), who ranks first among active pitchers in career wins against the A's (26) and career wins by an opposing pitcher in Oakland (13).Minnesota's Ervin Santana ranks a distant second in both categories, with 13 victories against the A's and seven wins in Oakland.Hernandez is 26-10 with a 2.64 ERA against the A's in 48 career starts.The A's added to his loss total when they beat Hernandez and the Mariners 2-1 in Seattle in April. He allowed a two-run home run by Jed Lowrie in the first inning, but just four other hits in 6 1/3 innings.Both pitchers will be handcuffed by short-handed lineups.The A's finally decided to place Khris Davis on the disabled list Wednesday with a strained groin suffered Sunday in Toronto. The move was made retroactive to Monday.Davis had been hoping a couple of days off would heal the issue, but got talked into taking a conservative approach Wednesday."I could probably come back before 10 days," he insisted, "but I think they just don't want me limping out there. They want me at full strength." The A's filled his roster spot with top minor league prospect Franklin Barreto, who was immediately thrust into the starting lineup at second base Wednesday. He went 0-for-2.The Mariners likewise made a promote-and-play move with outfielder John Andreoli, who started in right field in the 1-0 win. He recorded his first major league hit in his second at-bat against A's starter Daniel Gossett, a single to right field in the fifth inning.He finished 1-for-3 with a walk."It's been unbelievable," he said of getting the call and rushing to Oakland. "This is obviously a dream come true. It's something I've been working for since I started playing the game. I was in shock and I even got a little teared up."

Astros, Indians reconvene to wrap up season series 2h ago• 3 min read CLEVELAND -- The Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians, two teams that are expected to reach the postseason again in 2018, will play their season series over the span of nine days in May.After the Astros won two of three games last weekend in Houston, the Indians will host the Astros in a four-game series beginning Thursday night at Progressive Field.Not surprisingly, two of the four pitching matchups for this series are identical to two from last weekend. That includes the Thursday night matchup of Houston's Charlie Morton (6-0, 1.94 ERA) versus Cleveland's Mike Clevinger (3-1, 2.87).On May 18 at Houston, Morton and the Astros beat Clevinger and the Indians 4-1. Morton was outstanding, pitching seven innings and allowing one run, four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts.Clevinger, who was 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA through his first eight starts of the season, pitched 6 1/3 innings in that game -- his ninth start, giving up three runs, eight hits and a season-high four walks, with six strikeouts."There's not much room for error," said Clevinger, about the challenge of facing the Astros' high-octane lineup. "They're loaded from top to bottom, but we're right there with them. There's nothing they have that we don't have." Indeed, the two American League rivals have had very spirited games over the last few years, with Cleveland holding a slight edge. Since the start of the 2016 season the Indians are 9-7 versus the Astros. Cleveland won five of six meetings last season.In three career starts against the Astros, Clevinger is 1-2 with a 2.40 ERA, while in three career starts against the Indians Morton is 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA.The defending World Series champion Astros (32-18) have picked right up this year from how they finished last year during their impressive march to the winner's circle, when they won 101 games in the regular season.The same cannot be said about the Indians.Cleveland won 102 games last year, including an American League-record 22-game winning streak. But the Indians were surprisingly eliminated in their Division Series against the Yankees, when they won the first two games, but lost the last three.The hangover from that shockingly quick exit from the 2017 postseason appears to be lingering this year. Cleveland has been loitering at or around the .500 mark for most of this season. The Indians come into Thursday's game having won their last two games in Chicago, where they outscored the Cubs 11-1 in sweeping two games. That boosted the Indians' record to 24-23, the first time they've had a winning record since May 5, when they were 17-16.The Indians' starting pitching has been outstanding, and their hitting, led by Michael Brantley, has been very good. Brantley has a 12-game hitting streak, during which he's hitting .365, with four home runs and 13 RBIs."He's a pro," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Brantley. "It's fun to watch him have success, knowing all the work he put in to get healthy." The Indians' biggest problem is their bullpen.After having the best bullpen in the league the last two years, the Indians are last in the American League in bullpen ERA this year. The Indians' 5.65 bullpen ERA is almost three runs higher than their league-leading 2.89 ERA last season.The Astros, meanwhile, continue to roll. They put the finishing touches on a 4-1 homestand with a 4-1 victory over the Giants on Wednesday.George Springer hit his 10th homer and Justin Verlander struck out nine in six innings as the Astros won for the 11th time in 14 games."I'm obviously happy that we are starting to pull things together," Houston manager A. J. Hinch said. "We're a good team, and we're playing like it. I think we're starting to do a lot of things right. I like our defense, I like our pitching, I like our hitting. I like our team at Game 1 and I like our team at Game 50."

Rays turn to Snell to avoid sweep vs. Red Sox 2h ago• 3 min read ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays have dropped three straight and the Boston Red Sox have won four straight.The only consolation for the Rays as they try to avoid a sweep is that they have an actual starting pitcher on the mound for Thursday's game against the Red Sox."Tomorrow we are going to come back and try to get the win as a team," said rookie shortstop Willy Adames, whose throwing error was costly in a 4-1 loss Wednesday night. "You have to be the same when you're doing good and when you're doing bad. You have to take responsibility when you do something good and when you do something bad, too. You have to be a grown man." The Rays' pitching injury woes continued Wednesday with news that Jake Faria could be out until August with a strained oblique, suffered in the third inning Tuesday.Tampa Bay has already resorted to regular bullpen days and experimented last weekend against the Los Angeles Angels with using reliever Sergio Romo as an "opener," starting on back-to-back days and getting three and four outs, respectively, before giving way to longer relievers." "I don't know what we're going to do quite yet," Rays manager Kevin Cash said before Wednesday's game. "I would imagine we'll be revisiting Sergio starting again." Cash said that he may use Romo in that role three games in a row this weekend for the series against Baltimore. He'll rely heavily on his bullpen, with Ryan Yarbrough, Anthony Banda, Austin Pruitt and recent callup Vidal Nuno all in for major innings."I saw it, interesting way of attacking the opposition," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Tuesday. "Honestly, I don't know much about what type of information they used to do that, but they're interesting. It's not an easy team to prepare for because on a daily basis something different might happen. They feel that way, they feel they can do all that stuff." For now, Tampa Bay can count on a traditional starter Thursday in Blake Snell. Snell is 5-3 record and 3.07 ERA.He's been especially sharp against Boston, holding them scoreless in 5 2/3 innings on March 30, then limiting them to two runs in 7 1/3 innings for a win April 27 and a season ERA of 1.38 against Boston.For his career, Snell is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA against the Red Sox, including an 0-2 mark with a 5.97 ERA last season.Boston counters with Rick Porcello, off to a sterling 6-1 start with a 3.39 ERA. He's been dominant against the Rays, going 2-0 in three starts -- all Red Sox wins -- with a 3.10 ERA and 17 strikeouts against only one walk.Still only 29, he's 14-8 for his career against Tampa Bay with a 3.23 ERA, with four of those losses coming last season.Porcello will attempt to help the Red Sox (34-15) move 20 games over .500 and win their fifth straight game. Boston recorded its latest win when Xander Bogaerts hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth Wednesday.The pressure is on every Rays pitcher to help lessen the burden on an overtaxed bullpen that is even tasked with occasional starts, for now."We just go out there and try to do our thing and pitch to our best capability, execute at a high level, and that's all anyone is asking us to do," said Tampa Bay's only other healthy starter, Chris Archer, after a no-decision Wednesday.After this series wraps up, the Rays have three at home against the Baltimore Orioles, then hit the road for nine games, starting at Oakland and Seattle. Boston returns home for its next six, against the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays.

Rangers, Royals bring winning feeling into four-game set 9h ago• 2 min read The Texas Rangers are on an offensive roll and look to continue that recent prowess on Thursday as they open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.Kansas City will send left-hander Danny Duffy (1-6, 6.88 ERA) to the mound for the series opener while the Rangers will counter with Austin Bibens-Dirkx (0-0, 0.00), who was called up from Triple-A Round Rock to make his season debut.Texas outbashed New York on Wednesday, beating the Yankees 12-10. Jurickson Profar's three-run double in the sixth was the go-ahead hit that allowed the Rangers to win for the second straight night and snap the Yankees' string of eight consecutive winning series."I'm feeling a little like my old self -- I'm hitting the ball well and swinging the bat good," Profar said. "It's a long season and you have your ups and down. I found myself in a position to produce something good for the team, and I have to be able to take advantage of those situations." It was the first time the Rangers have won a game when their pitchers allowed at least 10 runs since a 13-11 victory over the Chicago White Sox on May 10, 2016. It was just their fifth such win since the start of the 2010 season.Rangers starter Doug Fister allowed eight runs (six earned) in 4 1/3 innings. But the late-inning relief combination of Alex Claudio, Jose Leclerc, Chris Martin and Keone Kela provided Texas with scoreless innings after Profar put them ahead.Rangers designated hitter Nomar Mazara hit his first home run in 12 games when he smashed one into the home bullpen in the fourth inning. Ronald Guzman soon followed with his third home run in three games as the Rangers erased the Yankees' 4-0 lead with a five-run inning. Both home runs came off New York starter CC Sabathia.For Mazara, it was his first home run since going deep twice against the Tigers on May 9. He had seven home runs in the first nine games of May, but none until he hit a two-run shot off Sabathia on Wednesday.The Royals finally won their first road series of 2018, finishing off a series against St. Louis on Wednesday afternoon with a 5-2 victory in 10 innings. And because it was against their I-70 rivals to the east in St. Louis, it was even more significant for Kansas City."It's always important (to win this series)," Royals left fielder Alex Gordon said. "We take this series a little more (importantly) just because of the rivalry and the crowd, and the energy. It's always a tough place to play. Nice to come away with two wins." Salvador Perez, who made his first start at first base since 2013, homered early for the Royals in Wednesday's win, and Whit Merrifield tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Drew Butera's two-run single in the 10th off Cardinals closer Bud Norris proved to be the game-winner.Duffy allowed five runs in four innings in his most recent outing against the Yankees on Saturday. He is 1-2 with a 3.25 ERA in his career against Texas.Bibens-Dirkx has made eight starts in Triple-A, going 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. He struck out 32 and walked eight.

Hot Brewers open series with Mets 1h ago• 3 min read MILWAUKEE -- It may seem like a lifetime ago, but barely a month has passed since the Milwaukee Brewers mustered two runs in a four-game sweep by the Cubs.Since then, though, the Brewers have caught fire, winning 15 of 21 games and after finishing off a sweep of Arizona on Wednesday afternoon, the Brewers became the first National League team to reach 31 victories this season.When they return to action Thursday night against the Mets at Miller Park, the Brewers will sit atop the National League Central, three games ahead of second-place Pittsburgh."It does seem a long time ago," third baseman Travis Shaw said. "It's the Cubs' division until someone else says otherwise, but I feel like we're in a good spot right now. We're playing good and we'll just try to keep it going this weekend." Shaw has been especially good during that stretch. He's 14-for-47 in his last 13 games with five home runs and 12 RBIs.But he's not the only one coming up with big hits. Jesus Aguilar has thrived since moving into the starting lineup when Eric Thames suffered a thumb injury and has gone 11-for-38 with five homers and 12 RBIs over his last nine games.Combine a resurgent offense with one of the most stingy bullpens in baseball and a rotation that's held its own despite missing its top three starters, the Brewers becoming are a dangerous team."I think we can be very dangerous," Shaw said. "The pitching's been there all year. Offensively, we've struggled early on, but this past week you've seen how quickly this offense can strike. It's literally up and down the order. It's a different guy every day. We have that quick-strike ability and we've shown recently that we've been able to grind out some at bats and get some runs the other way, too." Milwaukee should get a boost Thursday when Ryan Braun returns from a stint on the disabled list with a sore back. The Brewers will also get right-hander Zach Davies back from the DL and the right-hander will return to action quickly with a start against the Mets.Davies went 2-3 with a 4.24 ERA before landing on the DL on May 3 with a rotator cuff injury but looked sharp in his lone rehab assignment with Class A Wisconsin.Davis is 2-1 with a 5.26 ERA in five career starts against the Mets, who are looking to bounce back after a tough, ninth-inning loss to the Marlins on Wednesday night -- their second in a row after winning five of their previous six.At 24-21, the Mets are 3 1/2 games behind NL East-leading Atlanta, which happens to be the next stop on a seven-game road trip."Big opportunity," Brandon Nimmo said. "We wanna rise to the challenge and if you wanna be here, you wanna play the best. And so, we're here to win and you gotta take the top guys out if you wanna make it to a World Series. So for us, I think we approach this no differently. We go and we try and win these series and try and get a few games back from the Braves, for sure." For the opener, New York will go with left-hander Steven Matz (1-3, 4.42 ERA), whose lone victory this season came at the Brewers' expense. He held them to four runs (three earned) on three hits while working 5 1/3 innings in the Mets' 6-5 victory April 13.Matz is 2-1 with a 4.42 ERA in three career starts versus Milwaukee.

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on this website or any of the sports handicapping service
websites listed on this website are strictly for news and
entertainment purposes only. Any use of this content or
information in violation of federal, state, or local laws
is strictly prohibited. Activities offered by advertising
links to other sites may be deemed an illegal activity in
certain jurisdictions. Viewers are specifically warned that
they should inquire into the legality of participating in
any games and/or activities offered by such other websites.
The owner of this website assumes no responsibility for
the actions by and makes no representation or endorsement
of any of these games and/or activities offered by the advertiser.
As a condition of viewing this website viewers agree to
hold the owner of this website harmless from any claims
arising from the viewer's participation in any of the games
and/or activities offered by the advertiser.

Every sports
handicapping service website listed on this website is an
individually owned and operated private entity. CapperTek
does not have any direct affiliation with any of the sports
handicapping service websites listed on this website. CapperTek
is also not responsible for the content or accessibility
of any of the sports handicapping service websites listed
on this website. Links to other service websites do not
imply any promotion or endorsement of any of the content
or information found on those websites. If you choose to
follow links to other websites you do so entirely at your
own risk. Any third party photographs, images, videos, audio,
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and intellectual property represented on this website are
property of their respective owners.